Nominations for the 2025 class and beyond is open. Nominate here.

Inductee

Nate Morris

Rubicon Global

Nate Morris is Chairman & CEO of Morris Industries, a privately held conglomerate headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Republic Financial. Prior to Morris Industries, he built one of America’s largest waste companies from a $10,000 line of credit into a publicly traded business on the New York Stock Exchange, leading a $2 billion transaction and revolutionizing his industry.
A ninth-generation Kentuckian with family hailing from Morgan County in the heart of Appalachia--Morris is a product of public schools and was raised in a union household by a single mother.
Through academic scholarships and working, Morris graduated from George Washington University, studied public policy at Princeton University, and earned a business degree at Oxford University. He was elected Phi Beta Kappa and named a Fulbright Specialist Scholar. Morris holds an honorary doctorate of letters from the University of Pikeville.
Morris was the first Kentuckian named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list and is the youngest inductee into the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. A champion for innovation, he serves as Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and chairs 2X Game Changers.
As founder of the Morris Foundation, Morris is dedicated to expanding access to the American Dream for all Kentuckians.

Back to Inductees

Videos

Gold Sponsor